The Coward's Curse
by LiveHardDieHonest
Summary: Regina's curse erased everyone's memories and stole the things they loved. This curse dangled what she loved in front of her, ingraining every memory in her mind. And, in the real world, happily ever afters aren't guaranteed.


Author's Note: After watching the finale, I had to get this out of my system. The idea refused to leave me alone. I'm so hooked on these two, I don't even know anymore...

* * *

Emma stared at her ceiling. Fairytale characters had just inhabited her life and her head was spinning. For starters, her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming who she was pretty sure she'd have a hard time not calling Mary Margret and David, much less working her way around to Mom and Dad. Then she had to deal with the fact that she had slain a dragon-an actual dragon; with the fire and the anger issues- using her father's sword to find a magical true love egg to give to Mr. Gold who was really Rumpelstilskin.

Of course, now that it was all in front of her, and she believed, it made perfect sense. Still, it was a lot to process. And then there was the small fact that she was a princess. That would take some 'seeing is believing' type of reassurance. However, her son managing to be adopted by _the_ Evil Queen of the fairytale world raised an entirely new set of questions.

Emma was convinced that Regina loved Henry, no matter how much she wanted to believe otherwise. But she had always been under the impression that things evil knew no love. So, that would make the Evil Queen not evil, which sounded awfully counterintuitive to the whole 'cursing everyone's happy ever after' idea.

A soft knock on her door told her she was thinking herself into about ten different circles, none of which led her to an explanation of the last twelve hours. If Henry was there, he would have smiled that wide smile of his and offered his book as an answer but Emma had turned every page hundreds of times, and there was not a story of the Evil Queen's Evil Queen.

Surely she had one, though.

Another knock forced her back into the confines of the four walls that surrounded her. Throwing her feet off the bed, she swiveled around and stood up, heading quickly to the door before remembering who was on the other side. Her mother. Ready or not, she had one now and she couldn't avoid her much longer; Storybrooke was simply not big enough.

She took a deep breath and pulled on the knob revealing a small woman who stood with her hands folded in front of her, looking like she couldn't decide if she was going to engulf Emma in her tiny arms or run from uncertainty on how to explain the multitude of questions that must be running through her daughters mind.

The two women stared at each other; Emma trying to remember that this was her mother, and Snow White wondering how she could forget she had a daughter.

"We're going to have to talk about this," Snow began. "You can't hide from it in your room forever."

"I can try."

"Emma, please," the small woman begged. If they had still been friends, just friends without the added familial weight, she was certain Emma would have come to her already. Somehow, the newly uncovered truth put a wall between them; one Snow White was trying to gage the strength of.

Emma left the doorway and sank back into her bed, engaging once again in her overwhelming thoughts. One thought in particular, the one that truly did not fit: Regina.

"I need you to understand why your father and I did what we did." Snow sat at the edge of the bed, opposite her daughter, trying to be as close as possible without invading Emma's personal space. She wasn't sure she had the right to anymore. "The plan was always for me to come with you, keep you safe, but, the curse, it came too fast. Or you came to fast. Either way, the tree took only one…"

"I have a question," Emma interrupted, more listening to her own thoughts than her mother's words. She wanted to know, but her mother's actions made sense, she could rationalize them.

"Okay," Snow answered, a little hurt, but willing to answer anything if it meant her daughter would talk to her.

"Regina." Emma's statement blanketed questions Snow White would always struggle to answer.

"You mean the Evil Queen."

"Regina. Evil Queen. Mayor. Lady who raised my kid. Does it really matter anymore?" Emma more spat the words than said them, which she almost regretted, but, given the day she was having, no one could expect her to be cordial to anyone, even her mother. "What's her story?"

Snow White was slightly taken aback by the interest she took in the woman. "Well, Emma, she's…"

"Evil, yeah I got that." Emma knew where the answer was going; it would be the same non-helpful crap from the book. She knew, though, that if the Regina went through all the trouble to use the curse against her parents, there was a reason. The woman was obnoxiously methodical.

Silence took over the room. Snow was unsure how to proceed, the conversation she planned in her head had gotten so far off track she struggled to reroute her thoughts; _the life of a parent_, she thought.

"But something had to have made her that way," Emma finally said. "Babies don't come out of people with plots to entrap an entire world with curses. There has to be more to it."

"I'm afraid it's that simple, Emma. You're over thinking this."

"I think everyone is over_simplifying_ it." While Regina was her number one, go-to enemy, it didn't make her evil. A bit psychotic, maybe, but that wasn't the same thing and Emma was convinced that Regina's actions in this world were for her son, not some personal vendetta against her parents. As thoughts began flooding back into her mind, her frustrations rose, leading her to the door with a shocked, confused Snow stumbling after her.

* * *

Prince Charming sat at the table, hoping his wife was making their daughter understand. He hadn't anticipated life after the curse to start with such distance in his family. Of course he knew that 28 years was a long time, but the magical family connection he hoped for was nowhere to be found.

"Emma," the woman's voice sounded pleading, causing Charming to turn to the stair case where he found Emma, eyes glazed in frustration, sprinting away from Snow who was trying, and failing, to reason with her.

"What's going on," he asked.

"Not now, David. I mean Prince…you know what, this is my point exactly." Emma's anger was punctuated by the slamming of the door, leaving the couple standing alone with shocked faces and aching hearts. Charming watched as tears welled up in his wife's eyes, wishing there was a way to make this transition easier.

* * *

Outside, the sight of Storybrooke hit Emma. Granny's currently served as the location for all confused citizens, which meant practically everyone was there, trying to make sense of where they were and how they were getting home, if that was possible. From the sound of it, that was where Henry had run off to, since there were several loud questions about the book's opinion.

Basically, it was the same. Giving new names and memories to its inhabitants did hardly anything to the town itself, something she could not fully express her gratitude for. Always one for change, she now needed some solid ground to cling to.

The next thing she needed, and it was arguably the most important, was Regina out of her head. One way to do that would be to pay her a visit and force her to explain herself. But that was much easier said than done. After everyone was reunited with their memories, Regina found seclusion and no one had heard from or seen her since. Not that anyone bothered to look. No one was interested, except Emma; more for her personal sanity than anything, but the woman did help her save Henry and she would always hold appreciation toward her for that.

"Miss. Swan." The voice was higher than she was accustomed to, but Emma would know its owner no matter the octave. Rumpelstilskin was the last person anyone in town wanted to see. His power made him untouchable and Emma was in no mood to test anymore magical theories.

"How can I help you?"

"Oh," he smiled. "I think it's you who needs my help."

"I think I've had enough of that lately. But thank you," she added smugly.

"I think," he pressed on, "that you are in search of something. Or someone." His sly smirk shook Emma to her core. This man was a real piece of work, regardless what name he answered to. And he sure knew how to spoil an already ruined day. "And I believe I can help with that. Free of charge."

"Do I want to know what's in it for you?"

He took a small, yet powerful, step toward her. "I think you've done enough for me today, Miss. Swan. Take the offer."

When Emma remained silent, Rumpelstilskin took his queue. "Most people, when they feel lost, find themselves at home. Wouldn't you agree?"

If Emma thought it would improve her situation, she would have knocked the man senseless. His idea of 'helping' was being as useful as a bike is to a fish. Luckily for her, and her dwindling self-control, he gave a slight nod and walked away, leaving Emma with one more thing to figure out. Although, this time, she knew who to ask.

* * *

"You're home!" Snow White jolted up from the table after watching Emma storm through the door, not bothering to shut it; she wasn't staying long. "Yeah, I have a question that I know you can answer. And I want the truth."

Charming looked at his wife, concerned where this conversation would require her to go, where it would take his daughter. "I can try. I don't know how much help I can…"

"The Queen's Castle. Where is it?" Snow was caught off guard by words she had to replay several times before she could begin to process them. Emma might have been able to decode Rumpelstilskin, understanding he spoke more of the Queen than the Mayor, but she didn't know the first thing about locating castles. But her parents did. After all, at one time, they lived in one.

"Absolutely not," Charming protested. He may have only been a father for a few hours, but his instincts went into overdrive immediately upon hearing Emma's tone; he was not ready to lose the family he'd just found.

"Either you tell me, or I find Mr. Go..." she paused, remembering they were all fairytales now. That would take some time to make habit. "Rumpelstilskin. He has no problem making deals."

"Don't you dare threaten us, young lady!" Charming turned to Snow whose eyes were dark with rage. "You may be almost 29 years old, but you're my daughter. I gave you life and I can take it away."

Charming almost wanted to be invisible. Actually, to them, he already was. The two women were locked in a battle of wills and he hoped, for Emma's sake, she understood that her stubbornness came from her mother. Because of that, though, he knew that she would make good on her threat, which, in some ways, was worse than finding the Queen.

"The cabin in the woods," Charming finally said, closing his eyes, trying to pretend he wasn't doing this. "She had one in our world that few knew about. She wouldn't go to her castle, assuming it's even here. She'd go there."

"James!"

"It was him or us, Snow."

"Thank you," Emma smiled. Charming took one look at the sparkle in his little girl's eyes and knew he'd done the right thing. He didn't approve of her choice, but he would rather her feel like they at least respected her ability to make decisions.

As Emma once again shut the door behind her, Charming could feel the icy glare his wife held on him. He was well aware of her ability to bring out bandit Snow, should something happened to her daughter.

"She's going to be fine. The Queen won't hurt her now. The damage has already been done."

"I'm not worried about the Queen _hurting_ her, James."

* * *

The smell of moss and dirt chocked Emma as she went deeper and deeper into the woods. There was a light fog which made it difficult to see, but the cabin had to be around there somewhere. A lot may have happened, but Emma still had a sense of direction.

Reaching out she felt bark she was excited her momentarily before realizing it was simply a tree. It wasn't in her nature to back down but she'd been walking around the same area for an hour with nothing to show for it except the knowledge that there were in fact trees in the forest. The difficulties surrounding her, like so often the case, only made her search harder and the fact that Regina didn't want to be found, made finding her all the more desirable.

With every step she took, her heart beat harder, threatening to jump from her chest and lead the way-whatever she was about to learn about this woman made her anxious. It was almost as if she needed Regina to not be evil. She could lie to herself and say it was for Henry, but she knew it was something she wanted for her, though she had yet to discover why.

Consumed with the thoughts running wild in her head, Emma barely reacted in enough time to not body slam the back window of the cabin. She hadn't noticed until then, but the fog was denser here and she had to keep her hand on the walls or risk losing the structure's location. She had to admit, the Queen's quest for solitude almost worked and she was impressed. Making her way to the front, she felt a difference in texture. Breathing as deeply as the fog would allow, she raised her hand and pounded the wood.

* * *

The hammering sound annoyed Regina more than surprised her. For all she knew some lost bird was struggling to fly in the layer of protection she placed around her cabin. But as it continued, rhythmic and without pause, she was actually terrified that someone had found her. Quietly, she opened the door and peered onto her porch. _Lost bird, indeed_, she thought, rolling her eyes.

"One typically knocks on the door, Miss. Swan. Not the shutters."

Emma turned to see Regina, arms crossed and staring at her like she'd lost her common sense. An argument could be made that she had, since the sight of the former Mayor relieved her.

"Sorry. It's hard to see out here."

"That was the point." Regina was in no mood to have visitors, something she thought she made quite clear with the fog. "How did you find me?"

"Finding people is what I do."

Regina was silent for a moment, considering her options. Emma might be the Savior, but even she didn't have the power to find her without help, not when she truly wanted her solitude. Nevertheless, she stepped aside and welcomed her guest in. Not that it was her first choice, but she knew from experience that if she pushed Emma away, she'd take it as an invitation to stay.

Shutting the door behind her, Regina flipped a light switch, revealing a simple, comfortable living area before retreating to a small room towards the back. A meager fire crackled beneath the hearth and Emma was surprised at the warmth that radiated from it. This place was certainly a downgrade from the Mayor mansion in Storybrooke, but Emma was forced to acknowledge that she liked it much more. It felt like a home.

"You need to stop trusting him, Miss. Swan." Regina reentered the room, handing her guest a mug filled with her choice of drink: cinnamon covered hot chocolate. Apparently the Queen could be hospitable, and it seemed that she took note of Emma's habits. "One day, his price will be too much for you."

"Actually, if I hadn't asked my parents, I would have wound up searching for a castle." Emma corrected as she moved to sit on the couch across from Regina's chair before she realized what she'd just said. "Wow. I sound like I'm twelve."

Regina sat down and gave her guest an odd look. Not a demeaning one, but rather she was attempting to understand why Emma of all people would seek her out. And why she didn't have a knife to her throat yet.

"If you're here to kill me, Miss. Swan, I would appreciate you doing it quickly," she said calmly, hiding her thoughts, turning her attention to the tea in her hand. Emma stared at her, perplexed and slightly annoyed. Why was she giving in so easily? In a way, that took the fun out of their relationship, if one could call it that.

"I believe the deal was: if Henry dies, you do, too." The sound of her son's name made Regina shutter. He was the thing, in this world, she loved the most and it amazed her that curse was still capable of taking that away. It was a look Emma couldn't help but notice and, oddly, want to fix. She'd never seen Regina so defeated, even in the hospital room when they both thought they'd lost their son.

"I want neither your pity nor your company," Regina snapped, catching sight of Emma's apologetic stare.

"Oh, well. You're stuck with both for now."

"Miss. Swan…"

"What's your story?" Emma's bluntness, though she should have expected it, sent Regina reeling backwards. This woman would be the death of her patience which had been slowly degrading since she arrived.

Emma hadn't intended to dive in so quickly, but what else was she supposed to say? Clearly Regina was hurting over Henry, angry that she lost everything, again, and confused why Emma was there, not trying to decapitate her. She couldn't help with the first two, but she could ease at least one worry from the woman's mind.

"In case you've forgotten, dear, I am the Evil Queen."

"I refuse to believe that."

"You believed it before the curse, but not after? Miss. Swan, I'd like to invite you rethink that."

"I never said you were evil. I used the word sociopath. Not the same thing."

"While I appreciate what I am sure is your idea of a compliment," Regina said, having a hard time keeping her usual, deadly eye contact. "I don't have time to sit around all afternoon explaining myself to a woman who, quite frankly, has made my life a living hell since the day she was born."

At first, Emma was put off by the tone Regina used. She could really be a pain in her ass, but then, out of seemingly nowhere, she grinned. She tried her best to control it, but the small smile soon turned into a belt breaking laugh which gained her a puzzled glare from Regina.

"I'm sorry," she grinned. "It just…the only thing about this place that feels right to me is you insulting my existence. I really have gone insane."

It was true; everything about this new reality was confusing to her, except Regina. And while sitting with her like this was a little strange, it was the closest thing to normal she'd experienced since the curse broke. But she could tell her words bothered the woman, something she, for once, had no intention of doing.

"Oh come on, you can't tell me it doesn't light your heart on fire to throw some dirt in my face," Emma tired to reason, to no avail. She looked in the dark brown eyes staring at her, needing to understand why they didn't look angry but rather as if something had clicked in her head and she would give anything to be ignorant of it.

Regina stared in disbelief, her mind in overdrive. In a fleeting moment, Emma's smile became a mystery. Her laugh, strong and soft, caused fits on Regina's heart which beat furiously, unable to control itself. Green eyes pierced her, shooting arrows through the Queen's guarded chest, forming a smile that was for her alone. Only Emma. Although she would never see it.

"What's wrong," the blonde asked, concern soaking her words.

"In the fairytale world, this moment would have been magical," Regina answered softly, choking on her words. After all of their fights, over Henry, over pride, and after her multiple attempts to rid herself of the woman, she was amazed it chose that moment to make itself known. Why not when the woman saved her life, twice? Why not when she agreed Henry was her son or when she saved his life? It didn't make any sense.

But what a feeling it was. She'd felt this before, once, but never this way, never for such a person. She wasn't supposed to make her feel like that; she'd already had her fairytale.

She'd also had her curse, but she knew being drawn to someone, with no guarantee they would reciprocate, was a curse unto itself. A fate worse than having your memory erased, being thrown into a world that is not your own, and losing everything you love. She knew it would eventually tug on her heart, deteriorate what was left of her soul, and, if the feeling was not returned, would truly make her evil.

"What moment?" The question forced Regina out of her head before it started speaking without permission, and back into the reality of the situation. Damn this woman.

"It's none of your concern." Regina looked dejected, exhausted, regretful. She had not a clue how this was possible, but there was no denying it. She could feel Emma's eyes on her: curious, soft, waiting. Having her there was only going to make matters worse. Until Regina could figure out how to handle herself, she needed her solitude.

"I must ask you to leave." Emma stared in disbelief, but in case arguing would bring more pain, she thought it best not to. However, her interest was spiked. Not only did the Queen effectively dance her way the question, she starting talking about magical fairytale moments.

"You have got to stop doing that," Emma stated as she stood, placing her half empty mug on the table in front of her, aware Regina could take her words multiple ways, but knowing she had no other choice.

"Doing what, Miss. Swan?"

"Giving me reasons to think about you."

With that, Emma did as she was asked; she walked through the door and stepped off the porch into the fog, leaving Regina sitting alone, knowing full well that she was now in danger and Emma Swan was both the culprit and her salvation.


End file.
